Blond Hair and Blue Eyes
by Hanbun no Tsuki
Summary: Rumors said Sasuke is in love with a person with blond hair and blue eyes! Naruto, who's in love with Sasuke, is confindent that it's him! Or is it someone else... SasuNaru, hints of ShikaIno, Sasu&Ino friendship, Naru&Saku friendship. Twoshot .
1. Chapter 1

**Blond Hair and Blue Eyes**

_By: Hanbun no Tsuki_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto; it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto-sensei.

**Warning: **YAOI, meaning boy x boy pairing. Maybe OOC…I'm not sure…

**Pairings:** SasuNaru, NaruSasu, hints of ShikaIno, Naruto and Sakura friendship, Sasuke and Ino friendship. Also hints of KakaIru.

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"Oh my gosh! Have you heard?" "Of course, who hasn't?!" "Wonder who it could be…" "Such a lucky girl…"

Similar whispers and chats were heard from people to people of Konoha… But mostly, it was heard from the girls from the USW, short for Uchiha Sasuke Worshippers (in which we could say **all** of the girls). As the rumor was still milling, there walked our most favorite blond ninja, who's currently in a _heavenly _mood, along the streets that led him to the place where he has to meet up with his teammates, the bridge. He was whistling, smiling, and grinning at nothingness all the way there…

"Oh, why Sasuke-kun…_WHY?!_" There were girls (or even women) sobbing and crying at the side of the streets… There were also a group of girls who has blonde hair having hearts in their eyes… hands clasped together while muttering "Sasuke-kun is in love with **me**!" They let out a longing sigh and continued with their daydream…

When the blond ninja saw the group of blonde girls, he snickered.

'How foolish of them… And they called **me** an idiot…'

He then walked along until he spotted his pink haired friend, waving at him. He waved back and gave his trademark fox-like grin. His raven haired rival and silver haired teacher was still not there yet, so that meant he still had some time to 'chat' with his pink haired friend.

"Hey, Naruto! Have you heard about the rumor mentioning Sasuke?" Instantly, Naruto's grin became wider…if that's even possible….

"Why do you think I'm grinning like an idiot, Sakura-chan? Of course I have!" Naruto then leaned on the spot next to Sakura.

"Well, you always grin like an idiot…" Sakura trailed off when she can feel Naruto's glare on her. That Naruto sure has picked up a thing or two from Sasuke… "Anyways, have you seen those blonde girls whose currently floating around like they're in heaven?" The two smirked almost evilly at that.

"Yeah, they've all completely misunderstood the rumor; I'll give you that…. I mean, come on! The rumor said that Sasuke is in love with a **person** with blond hair **_and _**blue eyes… A person isn't always a girl; it can be a boy too! And who else with blond hair and blue eyes, who's currently close enough to be loved by the famous stoic Uchiha emo boy except me! I'm one hundred percent sure it's me!"

Sakura just sweat dropped hearing Naruto's analysis… "It's a mystery why you're so smart when it comes to Sasuke, Naruto…"

"Of course I am! Love can change anything! But that doesn't mean I'm not smart in the first place!"

And while Naruto was rambling about how Sasuke will react when he confesses to him, Sakura was deep in thought. She was once like Naruto too you know? Fell in love with Sasuke, try to get him to notice her, being so optimistic that he loves her back, trying to make Sasuke admit that he loves her too…But all of that was just an imagination. Sure, she finally realized that her undying love to Sasuke was a simple teenage crush and already got over it… And now, Sasuke is one of her best friends, including Naruto. (Just a secret between you and me, she's been thinking that Lee is actually a good man.)

But…Naruto is different. He's different from her. From all of the girls who said they're head over heels over Sasuke. Naruto is seriously in love with Sasuke. Even though it took a long time for him to realize that, his love for Sasuke is pure. It's not because of his looks. It's not because of the Uchiha name. It's not a simple crush. It's not only lust. It's love. It's purely of love. If there's someone worthy of Sasuke's love, it's Naruto. She should know. She was there, beside Naruto all the time, when he first realized he loves Sasuke until when he decided to fight to get Sasuke's love no matter what. And she's seen him. She's seen how Naruto loves Sasuke. It was nothing like when she thought she loved Sasuke.

He is truly concerned about Sasuke. He tried, and succeeded, to understand him. He never tried to _look_ like the best in front of Sasuke. He tried to _be _the best for him. He never faked who he is in front of Sasuke. Sasuke means the world to him. But the big question is, _what about Sasuke?_

To tell the truth, Sakura was afraid for Naruto. Naruto was ecstatic when he heard about this rumor. And she was happy for him too. He was so positive that the person said in the rumor was him. No, he was one hundred percent sure. But what if the rumor doesn't turn out to be about him? And if it doesn't, what will Naruto do if Sasuke rejects him after he confesses to him? He will feel humiliated. That's for sure. And he will break to pieces. But Sakura won't allow that to happen. No, she won't see her best friend's heart break.

"…-chan! …ra-chan! …Sakura-chan! Oy!" Sakura broke out her trance of thoughts and tilt her heads up to look at Naruto.

"H-Huh?" Naruto narrowed his eyes when he saw that Sakura wasn't listening to him.

"You weren't listening, were you, Sakura-chan?" Naruto said in an accusing voice.

Feeling a bit guilty, Sakura tilt her head down again and whispered "Sorry."

Uncomfortable with the sudden silence, Sakura decided to speak out her previous thoughts to Naruto, "Hey, Naruto… You see… Maybe you shouldn't get your hopes too high… Well you know… Maybe this rumor wasn't about you after all…."

Turning his head at Sakura in disbelief, Naruto scowled and asked in a slightly hurt voice, "I thought you said you're going to support me till the end, Sakura…"

"No! No, it's not like that! It's just…_'sigh'_ I don't want to see you get hurt, Naruto…"

"Get hurt?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. Sakura sighed once again.

"If the rumor was really about a girl, and not you, you'll get rejected by Sasuke, right? **_I've _**got rejected by him, many times in the past. And even though it's only a simple crush, it still hurts." Sakura raised her eyes to look at Naruto straight in the eye, "I don't know how hurt you will feel if you get rejected by Sasuke…"

"Huh! From all things I thought you were going to say, Sakura-chan, I never thought you'd say things like this!" Naruto chuckled lightly.

Sakura blinked once. Then twice. She was worried sick about him, and now he's laughing?!

"What are laughing about Naruto? This is serious!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure it is Sakura-chan! I'd never think you'll become a mother hen like Iruka-sensei or the old hag Tsunade!" 'Even though you _are_ becoming old hag Tsunade the second _'shudder'_' "You don't have to worry about me getting rejected by Sasuke-bastard, Sakura! I'm not fussing about it, so why do you?"

"Beca-!" Before Sakura could give out her reasons, Naruto cut her off again.

"Look, Sakura. Before you ramble out your irrational worries and assumptions, how about you hear out my theory first?"

Theory? Since when does Naruto know the concept of a theory?

Not waiting for Sakura's response, Naruto started out his so called 'theory'. "First of all, let's get over your worries about the rumor turning out to be a girl." Naruto stick out one finger. "If the rumor **is** about a _girl_, the one who spread the rumor wouldn't say Sasuke likes a 'person', he or she would say Sasuke likes a 'girl' outright. But if the rumor is about a _boy_, however, he or she couldn't say Sasuke likes a boy, since Sasuke is the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan. Therefore, Sasuke has to continue the bloodline by marrying a girl. By liking a boy, Sasuke will get many criticisms from the people, and the Spreader (I'm going to call the person who spread the rumor that, okay, Sakura-chan?) wants to avoid that. Resulting, Sasuke likes a 'person', not a 'boy', even though it is meant to be a boy. So the chances of the rumor turning out to be a girl, is zero percent!"

Sakura gaped at Naruto. How did he get so smart again…? Oh, yeah. _Love_.

"Uh…And how would you know the original rumor is about a person? Rumor changes as it mills around, Naruto." Even if Sakura was convinced by Naruto's theory, it still didn't convince her enough to wipe out all of her doubts.

"Tsk, tsk." Naruto waved his finger. "Of course I'd know! Because I got the rumor from a trustworthy and reliable source! Hey, Sakura, who do you usually ask if you want to get a juicy, yet real gossip or rumor?"

Sakura's eyes widened a little in realization. Of course! You can always trust a gossip or rumor if it comes from… "Ino!"

Naruto gave a short nod and grinned. "Yup, from the Queen of Rumor and Gossip herself. Now you don't have to be worried about me anymore, Sakura-chan! There's only a very small chance that Sasuke's going to reject me! I mean, who else is he close with except me, you, and Kakashi-sensei? Well, Kakashi-sensei is out of question… And we already know that he doesn't hold any romantic interest with you, Sakura-chan… Sorry if it sounded rude."

Sakura shook her head. It didn't really affect her anymore now. But with this, does it mean she really doesn't have to worry about Naruto? Somehow…something's still seems off. She couldn't put her hands on it, but something seemed off. And somewhat it's troubling her… It's like when you missed something very important and you couldn't remember what it is. It's frustrating and quite devastating.

Trying hard to set the feeling aside, Sakura said quietly but still clearly for Naruto to hear, "It really is a wonder and a mystery of why you could get so smart like this… It's a **huge** accomplishment for a so-called dobe(1) like you, Naruto."

"Hey! I'm not a-!"

"Ah, Sasuke-kun! Good morning!"

Freezing for a second, Naruto quickly turned around and saw his rival and best friend, recently turned out to be the person he loves, walking towards them and gave his usual 'Hn' to greet them.

"Yo, Sasuke! You're late today! Good thing Kakashi's not here yet!"

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Uchiha Sasuke is not a happy person today. First of all, he woke up late this morning. That alone already made his day unusual. Next, when he was walking to the meeting up point, AKA the bridge, there was the usual horde of fangirls…but today…they're even worse.

When he was walking along the road, his fangirls were seperated into two sides, with one side having much more people than the other. The left side of the road was the side of the blonde girls. They were having heart-shaped eyes and were looking dreamily at him. While the other side, was…well…the side of the moping and sobbing girls, some were even glaring at him. And of course the side that had more people was the sulking one. Sasuke couldn't help but sweatdropped and sighed at all of this.

He already knew what caused this. Hell, he was expecting this! But even if he already knew this was going to happen, he still couldn't help but sighed. Damn him for having so much fangirls.

'It's not _myself_ that I'm supposed to blame… It's _her_ for making such a rumor… what was she thinking! And I thought she was supposed to be my friend…'

Picking up more pace, Sasuke hoped he would reach the bridge soon. He just couldn't stand those fangirls. Just then, he could already see the bridge and his two teammates. They were standing so close to each other and seemed to be in a deep conversation. His heart ached slightly at the sight. Naruto and Sakura had grown close to each other since a little while back. Even though he denied it, they had been close since he rejected Sakura one day when she confessed to him. And Sasuke felt quite left out. They had been Team 7 with Naruto and Sasuke's rivalry, with Sakura's blunt flirting with Sasuke, and many things like that; and does it all change when only one thing changed? Just because he couldn't accept Sakura, as more than a friend, more than sister, does it all have to change?

'Maybe… Sakura has finally seen the great man Naruto can be. I wouldn't be surprised if they declared that they're dating now, seeing how close they are to each other. I should be happy for Naruto; he's liked Sakura for quite some time now… I really should.'

But despite all that, Sasuke's chest tightened with pain. The image of Sakura and Naruto getting together…he couldn't stand that. Yes, he has admitted to himself that he likes; no, loves, the blond. And he'll do anything to make the blond happy. Even if it takes him to bury his feelings so Naruto can be with Sakura, so be it. It won't matter anymore if he sees the smile on his face.

That doesn't mean Sasuke's not hurt. He was hurt all the time he was left aside. He was hurt when he felt there was no gap within the two for him anymore. He was hurt when anytime they're having a deep conversation, they would stop when Sasuke came near them and changed the topic. He was hurt all over.

And how could his friend said he was only paranoid and that he was only imagining things? She _laughed_ when Sasuke told her about how he feels around Naruto and Sakura nowadays. She even said that it was ridiculous for him to even think about it! What's more, she said she'd prove it to him by spreading a rumor (although it's a fact) about him liking a certain person with blonde hair and blue eyes. Well…it sure did react like he had assumed before, the fangirls and all… But how will his teammates react?

Still deep in thoughts, Sasuke replied and greeted his teammates by a 'Hn' when Sakura greeted a good morning to him.

"Yo, Sasuke! You're late today! Good thing Kakashi's not here yet!" Naruto cheerfully said to him. If Kakashi's not here yet, so that means he's not late whatsoever… Good.

Sasuke walked and stood near his teammates, ready for another hour of waiting for his late teacher. But fortunately, Kakashi took pity on them and 'poofed' his way the minute Sasuke leaned on the bridge.

"Hey, guys, I just want to inform you that there's no mission today, so you're free to do whatever you want! Ta Ta for now, I've got a date!"

And with that, Kakashi 'poofed' his way out again, leaving only the three of them. They spaced out for a moment before Naruto did his usual job to break the silence.

"That perverted teacher finally got a date out of Iruka-sensei! I think he put us into no mission today on purpose!" Naruto huffed, Sakura and Sasuke agreed silently with him. Their teacher will no doubt neglect them if he has the chance to go out in a date with the man he is obsessed with, dubbed as Iruka-sensei.

"But thanks to him, we got a day off! So, Sasuke, let's go to Ichiraku so you can treat Sakura-chan and me ramen!"

Both Sasuke and Sakura rolled their eyes. All Naruto could think is ramen, ramen, and more ramen. Doesn't he ever got tired of it?

"Hn, fine dobe."

"Yay! Ramen! Come on, let's go!" Naruto tossed his fist in the air and was about to lead the way when suddenly; someone hugged; more like glomped Sasuke from behind and shouted out,

"Sa-su-ke-kuuuuunnnn!!!!!"

Naruto turned around and what he saw almost made his eyes popped out of the socket. Ino was hugging _his_ Sasuke! But that's not what surprised him, oh no. What shocked him was that Sasuke only looked _surprised_. There was no scowl, no disgusted expression, only _surprise_. And Sasuke made no move to pry Ino off of him. Anger already built up, Naruto was about to question what Ino wants from _his_ Sasuke when Sakura beat him to it.

"Ino? What are you doing?" Sakura also wear the same expression of disbelief and confusion like Naruto. It was…weird…seeing Sasuke let one of his fans latched herself on him. Usually, he'd shove her away and glared at her. But Sasuke didn't make any gesture close to that.

"I'm here to collect a promise from Sasuke-kun!" Ino cheerily said.

"A promise?" the three members of team 7 asked in unison, confusion clear in their voice.

"Yeah, you promised you'd accompany me to go shopping for a dress for me to wear…" Ino released her hands around Sasuke's neck, much to Naruto's relief, just to latch it onto Sasuke's arm, which made Naruto to glare at the intruding hands that snaked around Sasuke's arm. "Don't tell me you forgot, Sasuke-kun?" Ino gave Sasuke a cute pout and puppy eyes.

'That Ino-Bitch must be imagining things! Why would Sasuke promise her anything?' Naruto smirked evilly inside. 'She must've made things up to get a date with Sasuke. But she'll learn a thing that Sasuke won't give in to something pathetic like-'

"But I thought I said I'll go with you tomorrow, not today."

"WHAT?????!!!!!"

Not believing they had heard right, Naruto and Sakura turned to Sasuke and expected him to say that he was joking. Not that Sasuke's the type to joke about something like this, but what they heard could NOT be true.

"S-Sasuke-kun…?" Sakura hesitantly asked while Naruto was still gaping at Sasuke and Ino.

Ino smirked at their shocked and confused state and leaned more to Sasuke. "What? Couldn't believe that I could get Sasuke-kun to hang out with me, could you? Ooh, let me tell you more! I'm going to buy a dress for me to wear for **_our date_** tomorrow!"

Instantly, Naruto's and Sakura's jaws were dropped to the ground. Sasuke. And **_INO_**. Are going on a **_DATE_** tomorrow?! And they're going to buy a dress for her to wear for tomorrow **_NOW? _**Too wrapped up in their own thoughts and confusion, Naruto and Sakura missed the confused whisper of "_Our_ date?" from Sasuke to Ino and how Ino had shushed him and told him to play along.

"D-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-date?" Sakura stuttered that could put Hyuuga Hinata into shame.

"Yeah, a date. Didn't you hear me, Forehead Girl? Now if you'll excuse us, we have a dress to shop!"

Before Ino could drag Sasuke away, Naruto was already out from his shocked state. And he was NOT going to let Ino took Sasuke away like that. Sasuke was _his_, damnit!

"You can't just take him away like that!"

Hearing Naruto's protest at Ino's attempt to take him away, Sasuke's heart skipped a beat.

"He was just going to treat us ramen!" Well, the skip beat didn't last long…

"Well, sorry to tell you Naruto, but Sasuke-kun made a promise first with me. Why don't you tell them, Sasuke-kun?"

Naruto's attention turned to Sasuke again. Expectantly, he waited Sasuke to tell Ino that he is going to the Ichiraku with Naruto and Sakura, not going to some kind of dress shopping with Ino. With a tug at his arm, Sasuke averted his eyes so it wouldn't meet Naruto's expectant one, afraid he would give in if he stared at those blue orbs.

"Sorry Naruto, Sakura, I'll treat you guys ramen another time."

Smiling a satisfied and triumphant smile, Ino dragged Sasuke away from his teammates and towards the market where they'd be buying a dress for her date, leaving both Naruto and Sakura speechless and still in a shock.

Then, just then, Naruto finally realized. He took in Ino's features and examined it.

Her hair… _Pale and platinum blonde…_

Her eyes… _Blue as the sky…_

She was touching him… _But he didn't mind…_

As Sakura recovered from her own shock, Naruto was hit by another.

'The rumor… It was about _INO_…! It was not…about me….'

"No… It can't be…"

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A/N: This fic was supposed to be a one-shot, but 'cause it's taking too long, so I made it…maybe a two-shot. So…yeah…. I apologize once more for my absence for too long… I'm currently making chapter 4 for my series…_then _I'll continue this fic… One more thing, anybody wants to volunteer to be my beta/insert puppy eyes here/ Both that and reviews will make me a very happy person!!! Bye now!


	2. Chapter 2

**Blond Hair and Blue Eyes**

_By: Hanbun no Tsuki_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto; it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto-sensei.

**Warning: **Shonen-ai, meaning boy x boy pairing. Maybe OOC…I'm not sure…

**Pairings:** SasuNaru, NaruSasu, hints of ShikaIno, Naruto and Sakura friendship, Sasuke and Ino friendship. Also hints of KakaIru.

* * *

After recovering from her shock, Sakura noticed Naruto was on his knees, still staring at the direction where Sasuke and _Ino_ had just left with his mouth hanging open. Sakura rushed to him, hoping his friend wasn't struck too hard.

'Since when did Sasuke start hanging out with Ino?'

The question repeated itself over and over again in her head, even though she tried to dismiss it and she shook it off and tried to focus on her blond friend instead.

"Naruto… you okay?"

Naruto looked grim. Like he had just realized something. Like…like…like he'd just found out Iruka was dead. That kind of grim.

"…Naruto?" She asked again when he didn't reply to her.

"Ino… She's… Blonde… Blue eyes…" Naruto whispered really quietly, Sakura almost didn't catch that. Almost. And when it dawned to her, it's as if things came crashing down to her. _Can't be._

"Naruto, y-you mean… Ino's the one…?" With an affirmative nod from the blond, Sakura's eyes widened. _Can't be._ Again, it clicked to her. The odd feeling she was getting, right after Naruto told that he got the rumor from Ino. A rumor about a person Sasuke's in love with, who has blond hair and blue eyes, was with no doubt came from Ino herself. _And Ino herself got blonde hair and blue eyes…!_ Is it possible that Ino was making a rumor about herself? If so, is it the truth, or a fake?

'No, it's impossible. As big of a gossiper Ino could be, she's not a person to start a rumor about herself. _Especially_ when it has something to do with Sasuke! But if it is true that she's the person Sasuke likes, she'll most likely just **brag **about it to everyone! (Seeing, _**I**_ would've done it when I was still obsessing over him.)' Sakura pondered it over and over, calculating the chances of this being true. No, not a chance.

"Naruto, listen to me." Sakura said firmly as she took hold of Naruto's shoulders. "There's no chance, absolutely _**no **_chance that Ino is the one could be true. So don't give up. You can _never_ give up any hope Naruto. You hear me?"

Sakura watched painfully at the dejected Naruto who just hung his head sadly, barely answering her question, "No, Sakura-chan. It's alright, really. I mean, you did say there's a possibility that it could be someone else and not me. I'm okay, truly okay about this Sakura-chan…so…so, let's just drop this, 'kay?"

'_How could be __**okay**__, looking like __**that**__?'_

Sakura just couldn't stand watching her currently broken friend. With tears threatening to spill and faltering voice, how could he still gave a smile and said he was okay?

"If you don't trust me in this, then I'll just prove it to you."

A bit surprised by his friend's sudden decision, Naruto just raised his head to face Sakura, clearly showing an obviously confused face. "What do you mean..?" he said weakly.

"We'll just follow their 'Shopping Trip' so I can prove it to you that Ino isn't the one who Sasuke likes. It's the easiest way to solve this mess, don't you think?"

Dragging a hesitant Naruto and ignoring his complaints and buts, Sakura lead themselves to the direction where Sasuke and Ino were headed. She'll show Naruto that what she said was true. It had to be true. _'Or else Naruto will break…'_

* * *

In the streets of Konoha's Shopping District, people saw a strange combination of a pair. An emo black-haired prodigy who was worshipped by many people in the village and a bubbly blonde flower-girl who was once one of the many worshippers in the village. Usually this kind of pair can only exist when one was 100 meters away from the other, with one always chasing and one always fleeing. So seeing them both together in such close proximity is somewhat a strange and new thing to the villagers.

"You know, I can never understand you." The boy we all know as Sasuke said with annoyance in his voice. "I will never understand why you did that in front of Naruto and Sakura."

His companion just giggled and asked innocently to him, "Did what Sasuke-_kun_?" And she ended it with another giggle.

"_sigh _Why did you tell them that it was **our **date. We know as clear as hell that the date you're going tomorrow is with _Shikamaru_. Not _me_. The thought of going on a date with **you** is making me feel sick…"

SMACK! The rude comment Sasuke made in the end of his sentence earned him a smack on the back of his head. Rubbing his injured head and glaring at his friend, Sasuke just kept quiet.

"I'll just pretend I didn't hear that. Anyways, didn't you see their expressions?" Insert another giggle here. _'What's with girls and giggles…?'_ "They're totally stunned! Especially Naruto…"

"Yeah, you're making them misunderstand. Especially Naruto. Great job." Sasuke cut her sentence with sarcasm dropping in each word.

"Humph! But aren't you the least happy that Naruto was _jealous_ of me because I got to take you out on a date? Besides, things should go smoothly between you and him if he took the hint we gave with the rumors."

"And how do you suppose he can take the hint if he's misunderstanding us being together?" Sasuke said, his sentence laced with anger.

Ino grabbed her chin with her two fingers and put her thinking mode on. After a long 'Hmmmm…..' Ino finally let out a weak 'Ahaha!' and a sweatdrop which resulted a vein popping on Sasuke's head.

A long sigh escaped Sasuke's lips as he shook his head at his friend's antics. He knew that she meant good and he's already used to her personality anyway. They've been close for these past few months after all. In a friendship kind of way. Not in a love-love kind of way. Just so no one will misunderstand.

A few months ago, Ino confessed to him formally. Formally like, in a really _really_ serious way. Not like usual where she will scream 'Sasuke-kun! Marry me!' and chase after him like there's no tomorrow. It was like a normal confession. Quiet place, the nervous girl, and the silence of waiting for a reply. Undoubtedly, Sasuke gave his formal rejection. Though there's no difference with his usual rejection. A bit gentler, maybe.

'_Ah. I still could remember that day. From that day on, my opinion of her changed. But not by much.'_

- Flashback –

_Sasuke waited for her to react. She's not going to cry or anything, right…? Ah, hell. She'll probably cry her eyes out then run away or something. She's just like those typical girls. He'll just prepare himself for the worst._

_Surprisingly, Ino neither wept nor ran. She just stood there in silence, staring at Sasuke with those ice blue eyes of hers. Sasuke also just waited for her to say something, do something. Anything. The next thing he heard was quite unexpected._

"_You like someone else, don't you?"_

"_It's not Sakura." Sasuke almost instantly replied. Everybody knew about her rivalry with Sakura and he knew Ino would be on a ramping rage if she ever lost to her._

"snort _Of course not! But you do like someone, right? 'Cause you're not denying it either."_

_No reply._

"_If you're not gonna say who it is, then I'll guess. I'll probably get it right in one shot though."_

_Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Like there's a chance she'll kno-_

"_Uzumaki Naruto."_

_Sasuke's body became rigid, his eyes widened, just hardly noticable, and his face paled just a bit. Jackpot._

"_Hahaha! You should've looked at your face Sasuke-kun!" Ino began to laugh but it quickly changed into a knowing smile. "I'm not blind, you know."_

-End Flashback-

Since then, they started hanging out quite often. Especially after Ino realized that she likes Shikamaru. They talk about missions, hobbies, anything. But the most often talked topic is Sasuke's feelings for Naruto. They sometimes discuss about it and Ino even urged Sasuke to just go, be a man, and confess to Naruto. It's just that Sasuke thought there was no need to do that. Ino just thought Sasuke is afraid to get rejected.

Sasuke tried to explain to her, again and again, that he will never have a chance with Naruto. Okay, so maybe that counted as being afraid to get rejected. But he will never confess his feelings knowing he will only get rejected. He didn't want to sever the relationship he already had with Naruto. As best friends. As brothers. Nothing more. Even though he wanted that _more_.

Ino said that he was being silly, that there's no chance that he will get rejected. Naruto liked him back. It was as clear as the day, she said, pointing out again that _she wasn't blind_. But he wasn't blind either. Also in these past few months, he had been feeling… somehow of being an outcast when he was with Sakura and Naruto. He felt that they've been hiding something from him, whenever they ended their conversations as soon as they saw him coming. He was the only one being left out. _They're dating in secret, not wanting you to feel being the odd one out._ A small voice in the back of his head whispered. Just thinking of it hurt him.

Hearing his final explanation of 'Why Sasuke Should Never Confess to Naruto', Ino decided to slap some sense into him. Hence, the rumor Ino created. Ino gave a hint in that rumor about Sasuke liking Naruto. Only briefly and not very clear. But even someone like Naruto would understand it, Ino was sure of it. Very doubtful that the hint will be received by Naruto, Sasuke just let her be and watched as the rumor mill ran.

However, if Sasuke ever had the little bit of hope that the hint will reach Naruto, that hope had disappeared completely right now. There's nothing more to hope when Naruto already misunderstood him being together with Ino. Naruto would probably think that this person with blond hair and blue eyes person is Ino. He let out a tired sigh.

"What's up with the sighing, Sasuke? Cheer up! Come on, you still have to help me choose a dress to buy for my date tomorrow!"

Another sigh.

"I thought your date is supposed to be the day after tomorrow?"

"Shikamaru said he has an urgent thing to do tomorrow. Family business or something like that." Ino rolled her eyes and accidentally captured a mop of blond and pink hair peeking out from a nearby alley.

'_Ohoho… This is getting interesting… It's a good thing Sasuke didn't notice them.'_

"Hey, Sasuke-_kun_! Let's try this store! They have so many nice dresses!" Ino pointed to a clothing store with her other hand latching to Sasuke's, dragging him into the store.

Sasuke only sighed at this, already used to her sudden dragging whenever he had to accompany her shopping. Boy, does he sigh a lot when spending time with her or what. And she didn't really have to grip his hand like that. Some people could get the wrong idea and mistake them as a _couple_. What he didn't know was, one of the some people, namely a boy with blond hair who's hiding in an alley, already got the wrong idea and was near to fuming, spitting words that sounded like _hand, leech, off NOW_, with venom. His pink haired friend only told him to keep it down and to quickly move into that same store.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto already recovered from his previous shock. His shock quickly transformed into anger right after he saw Ino talking a bit _too_ friendly with **his** Sasuke. What's more is that Sasuke seemed relaxed enough with Ino. Shouldn't he be…like, annoyed or something? Angry? Desperate to escape? But nooo… He just had to relax in front of somebody he should be annoyed at when he had to be uneasy in front of his best friends.

His anger flared when he saw that offending hand of Ino's gripped Sasuke's, calling his Sasuke with the prefix _kun_. _'Aghhh…. You usually would've been annoyed when you were called like that, Sasuke! What happened to you!'_

"That offending hand…. Don't she know she's touching Sasuke like a leech! If that hand doesn't get off _NOW_, I swear…." Naruto growled, venom dropping heavily in his voice.

"Shush, Naruto! Quiet! Come on, let's follow them into the store."

They moved together discreetly and entered the shop. The shop was big and full of clothes everywhere that they could hide between them without being caught while still eavesdropping on Sasuke and Ino. Unfortunately for them, Ino already knew of their hiding place and was already thinking of something to carry out her plan.

"Sasuke-_kun_! Here, look at this dress, what do you think?"

Both Naruto and Sakura peeked from behind the line of clothes to take a look of the dress Ino was showing Sasuke.

It's very…

"It's orange." Sasuke boredly said.

"Yup!"

"…"

"Soooo… Do you think it will look good on me?"

_Thump_. Naruto's heart suddenly started beating really fast. Sasuke often made comments about how his orange coloured outfit always made him look ridiculous. He always thought that Sasuke hated the colour orange. But he knew that wasn't the case. And somehow, in Naruto's thought, this situation decided whether Sasuke really liked Ino or not. He knew that it didn't make sense, but he still listened closely when Sasuke gave his opinion.

"…It'll bring out your personality more. Bright, that is."

_Thump. _

'…_He never said anything like that to me.'_ Naruto sadly thought.

"Can I take that as a compliment? That you're saying this orange dress will look good on me?"

'_He never gave me any compliments…Not even one..'_

"Yeah, whatever." Sasuke answered offhandedly with a hint of..care in it.

'_So, the person Sasuke actually likes is Ino... What a fool I am for even considering that it could've been me.. It was an empty hope all along.. I.. I…_'

Naruto's mind was suddenly filled with anger. The anger was incredibly overwhelming that he did what he really shouldn't do. He stepped out of his hiding place, knocking off a few pieces of clothes onto the floor. His glare was out full on.

"Naruto, you idiot! Get back here!" Sakura hissed and tried to get him back into hiding but to no avail.

Naruto himself couldn't understand the sudden anger that he felt. It was jealousy, frustation, sadness and pure anger combined into one. All of this directed to Sasuke. Why to Sasuke? Don't ask.

"Sasuke you idiot!"

By now, all heads have turned to Naruto's direction, including Sasuke's and Ino's.

"Stupid! Baka! Aho! Dai-aho! (all of these simply mean stupid)" After screaming on top of his lungs, Naruto rushed off out of the shop, leaving a hitting-head-on-the-floor Sakura, a surprised Ino, and an even more surprised and confused Sasuke.

'_Naruto…? What is he doing here..?_'

"Why are you still standing here, Sasuke! Go chase him!" Ino ordered to Sasuke, giving him a slight push.

Unfortunately, Sasuke's mind was still trying to make out the reasons of why Naruto could be here and only managed to give a weak "Huh?"

"Don't 'huh?' me, you big idiot! Go! NOW!" Giving him a hard push, Ino managed to send Sasuke out of the shop. When his brain was finally able to process the situation, Sasuke quickly made his way to the direction Naruto ran off to.

And damn, the dobe was fast.

* * *

Naruto couldn't see, hear, or think of anything. All he felt was the wind, passing through his body, as he dashed along the street, trying to reach his apartment..to escape Sasuke.

His panic began to build up as he heard his name being shouted over and over again by a voice he never got tired of listening to. But as soon as the fondness spread warmly in his chest, pain quickly came and almost cut his heart into two. Screwing his eyes tightly, Naruto willed the ache away.

'_Stop pining over him, baka Naruto! You're just hurting yourself! Argh!'_

Naruto tried to make a shortcut over the roofs, hoping to lose Sasuke in the midst of the confusing pathways. His unstable mind made his usual graceless motion even more graceless and he lost his foothold and slipped with a small 'ah' sound escaping his lips. He closed his eyes and braced for the coming rough impact.

But he never reached the ground. Instead, he found himself being held against a warm body, a fast heartbeat so close it required no effort to hear it. Naruto opened his eyes and found himself staring straight to those obsidian orbs he loved so much. Memories of the last few hours started to flood into him and he jerkily averted his eyes to the side. He would never forgive Sasuke the bastard. Playing such cruel jokes on him.

'_What jokes? All Sasuke did was..was..liking someone other than him. It's just me rampaging out of jealousness. How embarrassing, to get so worked up over this.'_

Feeling relief that he managed to catch Naruto just in time, Sasuke released a huge sigh. Seriously, the dobe have to watch where he goes next time, or Sasuke's heart won't be able to take it anymore.

"Oi, Usuratonkachi. Can't even manage to run properly, can you-"

Sasuke stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the tears rolling down Naruto's cheeks. He was so speechless that all he could do was put Naruto back on his feet. Moments passed without any of them saying anything, Naruto still crying silently. Awkwardly, Sasuke scratched his cheek and managed to start the conversation.

"Che. Stop being a crybaby. Why are you so upset, anyway? What the hell did I do to you to deserve those insults you hurled at me, huh? What were you doing sneaking around anyway-"

"Are you seriously asking me that! Why don't you ask yourself, you bastard!" Naruto glowered and practically bared his fangs to Sasuke.

Sasuke almost got riled up to the point of snapping but caught himself and heaved mouthful of air out of his lungs.

"It's because I don't know that I'm asking, idiot."

"…oh."

Again, came the awkward silence. The tension was so thick, someone can cut it with just a ruler. Sasuke crossed his hands and adopted his, what Naruto nicknamed, Holier-Than-Thou attitude and tilted his head a bit.

"So. Are you going to explain the reason why you stormed off like that?" Ah. Never forget the cocking of an eyebrow move.

Blushing out of his previous feeling of embarrassment, Naruto just turned his head to the side and mumbled a soft "nothing much" with a pout.

Sasuke managed to repress another sigh. Seriously, first Ino now Naruto. People with blond hair are just out there to make him sigh the life out of him. So _troublesome_. Now he understood why Shikamaru liked to use the word troublesome so much. One word which explains too much is just so convenient to use.

"I won't get mad so just spill it."

Sparing a shy glance to Sasuke who looked somewhat peaceful, Naruto finally gathered his courage and, _'Ah hell, let's just cut to the chase'_. This kind of sidestepping the issue and tiptoeing is _not_ Naruto's style at all.

"Sasuke do you like Ino?", he blurted out with a bit of accusation lacing the latter's name.

"Huh?" Is Ino's plan actually working after all? Is Naruto jealous? "Well..she's a nice friend and all.."

"No, no no! I mean not as a friend. I mean, you know, do you like _like_ her. As in, are you going to make her Mrs. Uchiha?"

Under Naruto's intense stare, somehow all Sasuke wanted to do was to shout in glee and congratulate Ino. Perhaps her idea is brilliant after all! Not resisting his sudden itch to tease Naruto, Sasuke let out a smirk.

"Why do you care dobe, I thought you liked Sakura."

Naruto was about to deny the statement, if he didn't notice Sasuke's ever-present irritating smirk. _'What the, he's just playing with me! Well, I'll show him..'_

"Just answer the damn question, bastard."

Sasuke decided to let Naruto off the hook for once and replied properly, "No. I don't like her that way."

"So why the hell are you going on dates with her?"

'_Somehow, I understand the feeling of husbands who are getting interrogated by their wives. No wonder some people said marriages are the end of men.'_

"She's just fooling around. She got a date with Shikamaru, not me."

A bit appeased, Naruto continued on with his questioning. "Why did you compliment her when she was wearing that orange dress? The whole bringing out her personality shit and everything." He waved his hands while saying the last sentence.

"…she'll kick me if I said it didn't. She'll hit me if I just said 'hn'. Women can never be pleased. Never accompany them shopping _ever_. It's a pain." Sasuke shivered when he remembered how he got beaten up in the middle of another of Ino's shopping session. He was making a serious comment when he said neon green was _not_ Ino's colour. Or anyone elses', for that matter.

Naruto, who has gone on a shopping session on his own with Sakura, completely shared the sentiment and nodded fervently. He really doesn't get girls. Why do they bring guys to shopping if they just beat us up when we share our opinion? It was like a new form of torture.

"Okay, then. No more questions." Naruto then turned around and was starting to walk away.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that, "Oi dobe, wait. We're not done yet. You haven't told me the reason why you called me an idiot."

Naruto stopped at his track and looked back at Sasuke. Sasuke swore he saw the usual glint of mischief sparkled in Naruto's eyes. If it wasn't directed at him, he would contemplate how beautiful it made him look.

"Ah, that?" Naruto took several wide strides and grabbed Sasuke by the collar. "It's 'cause I like you, you bastard. Like _like_ you."

Hands moving swiftly to push Sasuke's head to his, Naruto crashed his lips to Sasuke's with a smack and they left as quickly as they came. With a grin, Naruto released his hold on Sasuke and took a step back, licking his lips all the while.

Sasuke blanked dumbfoundedly before finally broke out of his stupor. That Naruto had the bipolarity of a girl, sometimes. He was crying one moment, all annoyed the other, than playful and a bit..seductive? Perhaps the Sexy no Jutsu had that side effect on him.

"So, Sasuke, you like _like_ me too, right?"

It was not a question. It was a demand. No more intricate plans or second guessing, their feelings were bared out in the open. They should have just did this in the first place. Why in the world did they mix the girls into this, anyway? Nothing good could come up if you put a girl in the equation, no matter if it's only as a supporting role. Their role is just to make everything complicated. Period. Guys always go straight to the issue.

With a small quirk of mouth, Sasuke gave Naruto a soft smile, "Yeah, I do."

Emitting small bursts of laughter (not giggles. Naruto is a _man_), Naruto leaned in for another kiss. And Sasuke met him halfway.

* * *

Not quite far away, behind a suspicious-looking bush, two girls were gushing on how cute the new couple looked.

"Awww! They made up! And they got together thanks to me!" Ino squealed her happiness away, not caring whether the aforementioned boys heard her or not. The two were too wrapped up with each other anyway.

"Stupid Ino-pig. They got into a fight because of you anyways." Sakura tried to sound angry but her delight for her two friends was too much that the scolding came out as a contented statement instead.

"Heh! If not, they would stay as only friends for God knows how long. Really, do girls need to do everything to get things done here?"

"I actually agree with you. Seriously, they can be so dense sometimes."

"Boys." Sakura just laughed and nodded her agreement to Ino's matter-of-factly statement.

* * *

A/N: Wow. Four years since I've written anything. To anyone who's still kind enough to read this… Hi! Please don't kill me *insert puppy eyes*! I've just suddenly found my impulse to write after all these years. I apologize if the writing style changed by the end. It's just so weird to find a fic you worked on four years ago and continued from where it left. Ehem. So yeah. As this fic was made four years ago, the setting was still when all was peaceful and no major tragedy has occurred yet. I can't believe Naruto has gone on for so long! I feel so old. I was still in elementary grade when I first found Naruto. Now I'm in second year university. Ah, time sure passed by… Anyway, thanks for reading! Reviews are welcome, if you would be so kind :)


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